Reveals paper by Dr Varsha Jain, assistant professor at MICA, who studied effect of digital platforms on luxury purchase behaviour in the age group of 18 to 35 years

Nineteen-year-old Simran Chhabria, a fan of high-end retail therapy, believes in ensuring her fashion choices are a hit before she buys them. So each time the teenager walks into a store, she clicks a snap of the product she likes and uploads it on a photo-sharing website. The number of likes, comments help her decide whether she wants to buy the product.

The PDPU (Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University) student is among the growing set of young buyers who thrive on the use of digital platforms and are heavily influenced by their network. While digital platforms vary from Skype, Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook, it has been noted that `likes' and `comments' received on these platforms determine youths' purchase behaviour.

The finding is part of a paper released by Dr Varsha Jain, assistant professor at MICA, along with Professor Don Schultz, Professor-in Emeritus, Medill. As part of the paper titled, `How digital platforms influence luxury purchase behavior in India?' Jain conducted two studies -the first included observation of 156 respondents in 15 focus groups in four major Indian cities.The second study comprised 95 on site customer observations in 18 luxury retail stores and 45 consumer interviews.

From the detailed interviews of the 156 respondents, Jain concluded in her paper that usage of digital platforms influence pre-purchase behaviour.

BRANDS DETERMINE IDENTITY FEELS YOUTH: PAPER

“We found out that customers purchasing luxury products not only demand digital gadgets at the luxury stores to know about available products, they take decisions based on popularity of the product on social media. For example, we spoke to customers who click the picture of the product and share it on Whatsapp with her network. More nod to the product, more chances of purchase. Similarly, the consumer use the picture of the product i.e. bag on Instagram after the purchase.“ Jain has stated in her paper. The data was further validated by 32 inter views with luxury brands manager and retail managers.

Jain explained in her paper, “We found and developed a cyclical framework that projects digital media influences on Indian consumers.“ The assistant professor added, “Doing the right purchase has become important as brands have become an identity of person. By using digital platforms, consumers ensure right purchase. “Friends Guru“ in various categories impact the choice.“